Having an abundance of technology options for data collection, transformation, and analysis can be beneficial for experts. However, this plethora of choices can become a disadvantage, particularly in situations where data from various sources contradicts each other or it becomes laborious to identify the most appropriate tool for the job.
For businesses, managing and analyzing data can be challenging. However, Data Fabric provides a solution to this problem. According to a recent blog post by Trifacta, Data Fabric “encompasses all data connections and data sources inside an organization, as well as the interactions that exist between that data…. Since a data fabric monitors all company data in real time, it can respond to nearly any analytic question”. By implementing data fabric, businesses can access the information required to make informed decisions.
Combining Multiple Technologies into a Single Solution: Data Fabric
To be effective, a capable data fabric should be capable of linking various data sources, including cloud data, data warehouses, data lakes, web services, and more. The solution should also comprise of software for architecture, data administration, and integration. In addition, it should support business intelligence, self-service analytics, data science, and transactional applications. For compatibility with different data delivery approaches, a data fabric should also work effectively with data virtualization, messaging, streaming, replication, and ETL.
To ensure compatibility with the design of a building, data fabric needs to process metadata analytically. According to a recent post by Gartner, the use of significant metadata metrics is essential for the effective implementation of AI/ML algorithms. This helps produce accurate forecasts related to data management and integration.
Data Fabric: Enabling Data Sharing Across Teams
As data is now scattered across multiple repositories making it increasingly difficult for traditional data integration to meet existing and future data demands, there is a crucial need for seamless integration of selected data from various sources to produce the most favorable outcomes. This data must also be available to users throughout the organization, regardless of their geographical location.
A recent TechRepublic article has highlighted that the most efficient data fabrics operate on a just-in-time basis. This functionality enables them to gather important information from various sources, irrespective of their geographic location, and present it in a clear format that is easily comprehensible by business users. With data fabric, professionals from different departments can access the required data when needed. As data is instantly distributed, compared to segregated data sources, business leaders have access to the information needed to make informed decisions.
Data Fabric: Seamless Integration of Diverse Data Settings
A recent article by Gartner states that data fabric utilizes ongoing analytics to assess the current, discoverable, and inferred metadata assets. This helps businesses to create, deploy, and utilize integrated and reusable data seamlessly across all environments, including hybrid and multi-cloud platforms. It effectively gathers data from various sources, including local databases, social media platforms, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, creating new connections between previously unrelated datasets.
This implies that decision-makers have the advantage of accessing crucial data and new insights on such data, which may not have been discovered by manual observation or traditional data techniques. By utilizing data fabric, businesses can potentially discover previously unidentified connections, such as between the suppliers of raw materials and production delays.
Data Fabric: Enhancing Existing Infrastructure like Data Lakes and Data Warehouses
Data warehouses act as repositories for organized and structured data for further analysis, whilst data lakes store both structured and unstructured data. Creating a data fabric, the next step involved analyzing data in real-time, which expands upon the utility and effectiveness of the above sources, delivering results more quickly and providing faster response times.
Data Fabric: Saving Time and Effort
Data fabric provides significant time savings for businesses, with efficient access to challenging databases and performing queries that deliver results quickly. For instance, adoption of data fabric has enabled some businesses to complete tasks within minutes that usually would have taken weeks. This additional time can be utilized in focusing on more demanding tasks, while real-time dashboards can also help users stay updated with essential advancements.
Over time, a data network can have a positive impact on productivity, establishing previously unrelated connections among data. As per a recent G2 blog post, data fabric incorporates a network-based architecture, similar to the functioning of the human brain, to eliminate integration processes and remarkably reduce development time.
Streamlining the Use of Data Fabric
The first step towards creating a data fabric is to understand the kind of data that professionals need, its importance, usability, and sources. This data forms the basis of a decision-making process customized for each organization.
Despite its potential benefits for business executives at the top-level, explaining the value of data fabric may be a challenge for the Chief Information Officer and the technical staff. As per a TechRepublic article, data fabric refers to a network of various data sources that form a comprehensive view, quite similar to professional networking.
Data Fabric provides various corporate benefits, such as increased data availability, visibility, and insights, along with data portability, privacy, and security. These benefits can help businesses achieve enhanced data agility and better management control, making it an attractive proposition for the top-level management.
